1 (edited by bobnowoc 2020-10-01 11:31 AM)

Topic: "How do I get on a team?"

Hi.
My name is Bob. I have raced 1 race.
For that race I was Captain and a driver.
I will do more in 2021.

I got two of my drivers from this forum. I'll tell you how I found them.  These are my opinions.   Your milage may vary.

1. Post on to the Forum marked 'Drivers looking for teams'

2. Consistently read the forum 'Teams looking for drivers'  .

3. The season is almost over , so there's not a lot of races left. The new schedule of races for 2021 comes out end of November.

4. Repeat Step 1 and 2 in December and January

5. Expect to pay the team ABOUT $700 for a seat
More or less based on the car, the team, the amount of teammates/seat time you get, and whatever the team captian thinks is fair.

6. If you don't have a race uniform helmet and Hans device, you can rent them from racesuitrental.com
They charge you $200 for a full suit, but they require a $500 refundable deposit.  (They were great!)

7.  A 24-hour race should have no more than six drivers on the team. Most races are not 24 hours, there's only two or three 24 hour races a year. A 24 hour race split 6 ways means each SHOULD drive about 3 hours (if the car works)

8. A 14-hour Race, easily the most common, should have no more than four drivers per team.  A 14 hour race split 4 ways means you each should drive about 3 hours (if your team doesnt plow it into a wall)

9. Ask the captain of lot of questions about the car and the team before you fork over your $700+/-. You want a reliable car, that already runs. You don't want to find out two days before the race at the race car not finished and your not going. There are no refunds. You don't want to find out at the track your car is unreliable and spends 10 hours up on jack stands trying to get repaired.

10.  Read the rules at least twice. 

11. Ask a lot of questions on the forum.

12. Watch the 24 hours of Lemons YouTube channel


Good luck. Bob

Former Captain
1996 Crown Vic. #55
Team Racing Cosmo

2 (edited by DirtyDuc 2020-10-01 12:08 AM)

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

Hi Bob,

I'm a fairly gruntled part-time "captain" and participant with others. I've built two "racecars" over a couple of years without any of this strategy of which you speak.

I get drivers from this forum. I'll tell you how I found them.  These are my options.   Your milage may vary.

1. Post on to the Forum marked "Teams looking for drivers"

2. Consistently read the forum "Drivers looking for Teams".

3. The season is almost over , so there's not a lot of races left. The new schedule of races for 2021 comes out end of November.

4. I go race by race, and don't worry.

5. This is wildly variable based on the car. Something cheap to run might be as low as $500, while an expensive (fasty-mcfastypants) might run as much as $1500.  Some require agreements signed in triplicate, some require the internet equivalent of a handshake.

6. I have a recurring team member that swears by them. I've used them. I recommend them to my newest victims.

7.  Shoulda, coulda, woulda. It depends on how you (captain) need to split costs and what your teammates want. Remember that sunk costs are just gone. The goals here depend on the team goals (do you want to party or race? people do both and prioritize both differently). Don't crash.

8.Shoulda, coulda, woulda. It depends on how you (captain) need to split costs and what your teammates want. Remember that sunk costs are just gone. The goals here depend on the team goals (do you want to party or race? people do both and prioritize both differently). Don't crash.

9.Depends on your goals. Do you want to hang out at a racetrack and drive something stupid (class c) occasionally while hanging out with car people, or do you want to DOMINATE? You should adjust your expectations accordingly. I prefer to share the risk, so I don't ask my drivers to pay all the way up until I show up with a tech-passing car that runs-ish. I also eat all the cost of upgrades/safety as part of my cost of doing "business" (although this probably works out in the long run, but that requires math). Then I have instructions for arrive&drivers that they almost uniformly ignore (except for when it's another team captain, they are usually good about not breaking stuff). Other team captains are also more understanding when something goes pear-shaped. Something always goes pear-shaped.

10. Its always your fault.

11. Its always your fault.

12. Subscribe to the 24 hours of Lemons YouTube channel

Q

That guy

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

In the long run it is probably best to find a group of friends and build your own car. Chances are if you are into racing your some of your friends will be too.

"get up and get your grandma outta here"

4 (edited by bobnowoc 2020-10-01 07:31 AM)

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

Dear Dirty and Yuck.

You are right.  I am sure your method worked for you.
I only wrote what worked for me.

I wanted to make sure my team got their money's worth.
I was so afraid of spending their money, and then have a poorly prepared car break down.  I couldnt stomach the idea of wrenching when we should be racing.

It was important to me, as a rookie captain,  that if I was gonna take $100s of dollars from friends and strangers, we had a good Idea what I was offering.


I also agree with Yuck,  you SHOULD build your own car.
That is EASILY the best idea.
Jay Lamb said the whole series was about getting off your butt and building SOMETHING.  ANYTHING.
But some people have neither the money, time, space, tools, know how or ambition to build a car.
This post was designed to be some guidance for them.


Dirty,  i really enjoyed your version of my 12 points.  Thank you

Your mileage may vary.
Bob

Former Captain
1996 Crown Vic. #55
Team Racing Cosmo

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

I am instituting a rewards program for my drivers, wherein I try to incentivize drivers I like to return, with the hope of eventually ending up with a group of folks who are in it for the medium/long haul (as I appear to be): your seat cost goes down $50 for every subsequent race you do with the team.

One thing I do strongly believe in is bringing new people in to the Lemons fold - and showing them a good time so they come back (be it with me again or with their own team). That being said, it is extremely stressful (as bobnowoc points out) to do this given the parameters we are working with(e.g. crapcans and taking hundreds of dollars from people). To me, it is doubly stressful to put an unknown quantity (especially a Lemons rookie) into a car you have spent the better part of a decade refining. I have been very fortunate to always recruit respectful A&Ds, though I have heard plenty of stories around the paddock of others not so lucky.

I'll let you know how the rewards program works out at the end of 2021 smile

"THE WONDERMENT CONSORTIUM"
Everything dies baby that's a fact,
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back?

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

Yep Dereck. 
I agree with everything you said.

Young people, who have never raced a car..... Please understand our hesitation bringing you on our team.

it is scary selling you a $700 seat in my car, when i have spent $thousands of my money, $700 of each of our teammates cash, and untold hours on our cars, only to hope you dont stuff it into the wall or flip it over on hour 3 (which totally happened this year at CMP)

Yuck is right.   Build your own car if you can.
Building is half the fun.

Former Captain
1996 Crown Vic. #55
Team Racing Cosmo

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

bobnowoc - does your $700 include Lemons fees, or is that in addition to?

Team whatever_racecar #745 Volvo wagon

8 (edited by bobnowoc 2020-10-01 02:42 PM)

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

Every team captain is different.

Here is how I set up my team:
(14 hour,  4 man team)
1.Everyone paid $75 for their Lemons license
2.Everyone provided their own uniform, Helmet and Hans
3.Everyone provided their own food and drink
4.  I asked everyone if they wanted to rent a garage.  Yep. They all pitched in $50


Driver #1: my mechanic.  He did 100% of the work.
He drove for free.  He paid nothing, other than 1,2,3 &4
Driver #2 : paid $740.  This went to pay half of our Lemons admission costs.
Driver #3 : paid $740.  This went to pay half of our Lemons admission costs
Driver #4: Me.  I paid for the car.  All repairs. Gas at the track, and I rented us an Air B&B


Everyone got 3 to 3.5 hours of seat time (barring crashes, black flag peanalties, and break downs.  We had none)

Former Captain
1996 Crown Vic. #55
Team Racing Cosmo

9 (edited by bobnowoc 2020-10-01 02:42 PM)

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

Here is how I set up my team:
(24 hour,  6 man team)
1.Everyone paid $75 for their Lemons license
2.Everyone provided their own uniform, Helmet and Hans
3.Everyone provided their own food and drink
4.  I asked everyone if they wanted to rent a garage.  Yep. They all pitched in $50


Driver #1: my mechanic.  He did 100% of the work.
He drove for free.  He paid nothing, other than 1,2,3 &4
Driver #2 : paid $740.  This went to pay half of our Lemons admission costs.
Driver #3 : paid $740.  This went to pay half of our Lemons admission costs
Driver #4 : paid $740.  This all went to gas and consumables
Driver #5 : Paid $740.  This went to upgrades.  Lights, a new fire supression.  Extra rims
Driver #6. Me.  I paid for the car.  All repairs.  and I rented us an Air B&B


Everyone got 3 to 3.5 hours of seat time (barring crashes, black flag peanalties, and break downs.  We had none)


I have only captianed one race.  It was a 24 hour race. CMP

Former Captain
1996 Crown Vic. #55
Team Racing Cosmo

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

One last detail.  I dont want to leave this out.

When the budget broke, all of my teammates gave extra, more than they agreed to, to help get us on the track.

All of my guys supported my freshman race with generous gifts of time, equipment and cash.

I did not pull this off myself.
I did not pull it off under budget.

My team is amazing.

Thank you Racing Cosmo!
Bob

Former Captain
1996 Crown Vic. #55
Team Racing Cosmo

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

bobnowoc wrote:

Yep Dereck. 
or flip it over on hour 3 (which totally happened this year at CMP)

https://media.giphy.com/media/jUwpNzg9IcyrK/giphy.gif

"THE WONDERMENT CONSORTIUM"
Everything dies baby that's a fact,
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back?

12 (edited by bobnowoc 2020-10-01 03:44 PM)

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

Watching that volvo go end over end was AMAZING.

It was like watching a movie, but right in front of me.

(Before you all ask,  the driver was fine, and the volvo got totalled)

We invited 2 of their drivers, who never got a turn in the volvo, to drive our Racing Cosmo Crown Vic.  They drove the 4 am and 5:30 am shifts.  Which was good, because all of Racing Cosmo was trying to sleep!

Former Captain
1996 Crown Vic. #55
Team Racing Cosmo

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

I was the one who drove the orange mustang for the first 2 hours of the race smile

"THE WONDERMENT CONSORTIUM"
Everything dies baby that's a fact,
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back?

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

derekste wrote:
bobnowoc wrote:

Yep Dereck. 
or flip it over an the transponder laps

https://media.giphy.com/media/jUwpNzg9IcyrK/giphy.gif

Fixed it for you. tongue

Fourteen time loser. You'd think I'd know better by now.

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

bobnowoc wrote:

Watching that volvo go end over end was AMAZING.

It was like watching a movie, but right in front of me.

(Before you all ask,  the driver was fine, and the volvo got totalled)

We invited 2 of their drivers, who never got a turn in the volvo, to drive our Racing Cosmo Crown Vic.  They drove the 4 am and 5:30 am shifts.  Which was good, because all of Racing Cosmo was trying to sleep!

Bob is a "newbie" team captain, but he quite clearly has his stuff together.  He was being modest when he failed to mention that his brand new team, with all brand-new drivers, finished 17th overall (out of 96) their first time out - in a true 24 hour, on Cosmo MuchoMacho tires!  Good organization pays off!

And thanks again for the 4am shift!  It was generous of you and greatly appreciated.  Also flattered that you trusted an unknown driver who had never driven a Crown Vic with your car on a dark track in the middle of the night.

Still looking for video of the Volvo's aerobatic routine.

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

And forgot to mention that we've been running six drivers at all of our races, so are adding a second car (and a couple of more drivers) for additional seat time.  Have mostly recruited drivers from family and friends, but two have come from the forums and one from both of us driving with the same team as A&Ds at CMP.

Re: "How do I get on a team?"

To clarify on my #9 above, most of the catastrophic failures are a result of either my choices or my driving. So when I bring what turns out to be a hurt car and say "don't rev it too high, put it in 5th as soon as possible, and only downshift to 4th." it's my own fault for expecting something else from a car that sounds fast and should have the governor (like a rev limiter for a diesel, also, I broke that engine two races ago and didn't realize it) turned down to reasonable.

I don't bring anything that can't be wadded up and have any impact other than ruin everyone's weekend. I have often had forum drivers do an A&D, and I sometimes have other captains A&D and I sometimes A&D with other captains.

I got brought on by a forum member, I feel like I should accept what should be the tradition of taking risks on newbs, especially for C class cars.

That guy